Syracuse University Libraries’ fall exhibition, “We Remember Them: The Legacy of Pan Am Flight 103,” commemorating those lost 30 years ago in the bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988, opens with a reception on Sept. 13, from 4:30–6 p.m. in the Special Collections Research Center gallery on the sixth floor of Bird Library.
Among those killed in the bombing were 35 students returning home from a semester abroad in London, England, and Florence, Italy, through Syracuse University’s Division of International Programs Abroad (now Syracuse University Abroad).
Curated by Pan Am 103 Archivist and Assistant University Archivist Vanessa St.Oegger-Menn, the exhibition consists of archival materials donated by the victims’ families, friends, advocates and affected communities that document the lives of those lost and the ways in which they are remembered. Whether through scholarship, public advocacy, art or physical memorials, we ensure their lives and the lessons learned from their deaths will not be forgotten.
The exhibition begins with an overview of the investigation of the bombing itself through photographs and original documents from the joint US/UK investigative team, as well as victims’ personal items returned from the crash site, and continues through the criminal case of two Libyan nationals at Kamp van Zeist, Netherlands.
The role of the victims’ families and allies in working toward justice and improved aviation security is an essential element of the story of Pan Am Flight 103. “We Remember Them” features legislation, correspondence, newsletters, memorabilia and photographs documenting their important work.
Just as this tragedy created unexpected bonds among individuals, it also brought together two communities—Lockerbie, Scotland, and Syracuse University. The exhibition explores the experiences and responses of both communities through clippings, publications, and other materials.
The majority of the exhibition focuses on the many and diverse ways the victims have been remembered and memorialized—through artwork and publications, scholarships, archives and physical spaces.
Items on display include a maquette for “Dark Elegy,” fragments of the Place of Remembrance, architectural plans and models for the Lockerbie Cairn at Arlington National Cemetery, the photography of Newhouse professor Lawrence Mason Jr., and an array of other archival sources.
The exhibition concludes with a visual recreation of the memorial book “On Eagles’ Wings,” consisting of photographs of the 270 victims alongside their name, birth date, seat number and home country.
The exhibition will be on display in Bird Library’s sixth floor gallery through June 2019.
